What tone do YOU like?

[dcoventry]

I have been following the Ultimate Mandolin thread and realized that while it is a good theoretical discussion, that was about it.

So here is a more answerable question:

What kind of tone do YOU look for in a mandolin that really sounds good to YOU. I myself play everything from Grateful Dead to Frank Zappa, so traditional Bluegrass tone is not necessary at all. I like darker and rounder tones from the instruemnt, but much of the tone can be changd by my fingers i.e. how a strum, where I strum.

OK, what does everyone look for for a pleasing sound?

[Mandolin Mick]

I go for that Bluegrass tone, chop chords that bark like a dog!

Other than that, its hard to explain. This may sound strange, but I can tell by playing the D string ... should sound full & thick.

[Brent Hutto]

I want to hear a tone that gets bigger but not brighter up on the A and E strings as the dynamic level increases.

Having some sustain is good, having some overtones is good although neither should be so excessive as to reduce clarity and articulation.

I probably favor a more "modern" type of tone above the classic woody/woofy response that works so perfectly in a bluegrass band context. I view the mandolin more as a lyrical instrument than a rhythmic one, closer to a fiddle than a snare drum so to speak.

For instance, while I adore Mike Compton's timing and touch I'd say in terms of purely pleasing mandolin tone I like Matt Flinner's sound better. Our own Don Steinberg's tone is often a model of clarity and fullness/roundness in spite of the fact he's typically playing in a fairly complex, multiple-voice style.

[yankees1]

I like the sustain of an oval!

[Big Joe]

Good tone.

[Brent Hutto]

Good tone.

The best tone is the one that makes you stop what you're doing and say "Hey, turn it up. I want to listen to that mandolin".

[dcoventry]

Big JOe,

What you say is true....but would you like to offer up a bit of detail about what YOU like? And since you probably can give a lesson, what are the major contributors to a mandolins specific tone that you like? Top wood? Bracing? Etc.

I would value anything opinions you would see fit to give. Thank you.

[Ben Somerville]

I like the good ol' bluegrass tone, not just because I play bluegrass, but because it sounds so much better in every style of music.

[Ed Goist]

A dark, bluesy, raw, and untamed tone, with violin and harp-like chime to the high register, and a clear, almost woody, percussive tone to the low register.

[John Flynn]

I have always preferred the tone of oval hole mandolins, especially old Gibsons and Sobells. F-holes are great too, in their own way. I particularly like the tone of the Collings brand in F-hole instruments.

[dcoventry]

Ed's got the good descriptions.....especially since I whole heartedly agree! I want some edges to the tone that I can work with by adjusting picking and strumming.

[Chuck Naill]

I prefer a bright tone with sustain. Grisman mandolin with Garcia is a good example since you are a dead head. It does not have to be perfect tonally or perfectly played, but honest.

chuck

[Big Joe]

My tastes in tone are highly varied as are my tastes in music itself. I prefer a hard Maple back, sides, neck with Red Spruce top, dovetail neck joint, bracing depends upon shape and size more than specific type (or lack thereof), and a fossil ivory nut with oil varnish finish with french polish overcoat. That gives me the most versatile tone for so many styles of music. That sounds pretty much like a Gibson MM, or a real Loar, or one of several other great mandolins on the market. Oh... I also like F models with fair sized necks, but not huge. My current mandolin is a small builder and contains all of the above except it is a nitro lacquer. Someday I may refinish it in varnish unless I build myself what I want first.

All that being said, I love the old Gibson A's with oval hole and 12 fret neck. I also love F4's, and would love any of those as a second mandolin. I have a passion for Gibson white faced A3's, but more for the appearance than tone. Like so many, I sound like me on any mandolin so I guess the actual instrument itself is more a matter of preference than tone. Most of us do sound like us on whatever we play.

[mandroid]

By my age, I'm happy I can hear the damn thing at all.

[300win]

I'm a Bluegrasser mostly, but like to dabble in Scots/Irish, acoustic rock, really anything that is fun to play, but I do like a mandolin to be well balanced but leaning towards a good "G", like that stout bottom end, a strong "D", clear "As" and "Es", like plenty of volume, but not harsh and MUST have a strong "G" chop.

[LKN2MYIS]

A tone that will respond well to my playing, and it has to have depth to it if necessary.

Pretty much anything BUT the 'bluegrass tone'. That does nothing for me.

I think instruments should be able to play all types of music, and that the musician is the one that speaks what he is feeling through it. So for me, I'd like a wide tonal palette.

[Rick Schmidlin]

Monroe,Wakefield tone these daze.

[re simmers]

I like big, rich tone that I would describe as baritone rather than bassy. Big chunky chop. Not a snap, but a chunk. I guess I like Dempsey Young's tone the best. That's why my main gourd is the Buckeye. It's as close as I've heard. Sam Bush's mandolin has that 'chunk' and so does the Gibson Bush models.

Bob

[Dobe]

Kinda like some Gov't mans idea of pornography:

" I don't know how to define it, but I know it when I hear it ! "

There's definately more than a few types of TONE to like.

[JeffD]

You tell me the kind of music I will be playing and I will tell you the tone I like for it. There is no "one tone" that is great for everything.

Well thats how I justify my MAS anyway.

[Tim2723]

One reason I play the Ovation is the unique tone that I consider a cross between a flat-top Celtic style and a bowl-back. It's ideal for my music. I use a much thinner pick (.5mm) than most BG players to get a very bright edge that cuts well against the guitar. The deep, woody sound favored by so many BG and OT players doesn't work for me. I like a bright, almost banjo-like attack with long sustain.

But like so many others have said, there's no one perfect tone for everything, and I try to appreciate each mandolin I encounter for its particular voice.

[George R. Lane]

I like to play many different types of music. I love the sound of my Weber Vintage A, very mellow and deep with a ton of sustain. I have tomasticks heavies on it. My Yellowstone is only 7 months old but I feel it will mature into a fine sounding mando. It has an Englemann top and I like the clarity of the notes. Still experimenting with strings.

[JeffD]

A dark, bluesy, raw, and untamed tone, with violin and harp-like chime to the high register, and a clear, almost woody, percussive tone to the low register.

Now there is a description I can get my arms around.

And I would say for old time and bluegrass and accoustic blues and that "high lonesome" sound, that would be the tone I would favor. I like more "eveness" between the high and the low for classical music, less wood in the bottom, more refined and clear and less raw overall. Something like what a bowlback gives you. And for Irish and Scottish traditional I think the "Gibson sound" sticks out too much. I much prefer something more ringy, more bell like? more of a flat top sound for Celtic. For Eastern Eurpoean and Klezmer tunes I am drawn to what a bowlback can do.

These words we apply to accoustic experiences are very limited - but the point is that what is ideal for this kind of music may or may not even work for that music.

[Tim2723]

And for Irish and Scottish traditional I think the "Gibson sound" sticks out too much. I much prefer something more ringy, more bell like? more of a flat top sound for Celtic.

Yeah, exactly.

[Matt DeBlass]

I like a warm full bodied tone with notes of blackberry and dark chocolate with nice rounded finish... or maybe that's wine